The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-06-04
THE S EMPIRE.
rho vast Extent Of the Cars DoInlnlOns
In Europe and Asia.

TIE cNsFtn6s
rhe Vast Extent of the Cars D~oinlnlOns
In Europe and Asia.
The Empire of the Car is SO vast in
its extent that it bewilders the mind to
attempt to form a picture Of it. Sweep
ing from the White Sea, the Polar
Ocean, at the north Of Europe, east
ward to the Sea Of Japan and the
waters Of America, where she has
coded to the United States a domain in
the New World larger than France:
embracing the vast realm Of Siberia;
bordering upon China on the south,
and touching Afghanistan at the gate
Of India; t1anking Persia, and hover.
ing like a dark cloud over the whole Of
the Turkish Empire, while on the ex'
IRENE west she faces Germany, Aus.
tria and the new kingdom Of Rouman.
ia, Russia presents, in n compact
mass, a territory such as no earthly
monarch has ever before ruled over.
To the people Of the narrowed king.
doms Of Europe, who watch jealousy
every movement Of Russia, the Empire
is grand, mysterious and fearful. They
know its mor than eighty million
people include many strange races, all
of whom seem willing to serve their
Emperor. He has at his command a
standing army Of more than SIX hun.
dred thousand men, and could call I'M.
der arms two million soldiers. The
vastness and mystery Of the Empire
make it even more formidable than dc
the figures which represent its armed
men.
The distant camps Of the primitive
Aryans, who still worship the sacred
fire; the Iranians and their ancient
enemies, the barbarous T%uranians, at
peace at last under the flag Of a foreign
master; Tartars Of every sort, faithful
in their allegiance to their white mas.
ter; Georgians, Circassians and Arme.
mans; rude Samoyedes, people like
Esquimaux in the extreme north;
troops upon troops Of Cossacks, the
organized "cowboys'' Of Russia; and
then the great mass of European Rus
SLAMS, with the Lapps and Firms, and
myriads Of Jews; all these diverse
peoples belonging, with all their goods
and their very lives, to one man, and
n only, the Great White Czar-all
these make up a vague but formidable
whole.
1t is no wonder that the statesmen OF
Europe have Russia seldom out of
mind, and that they sometimes attrib.
ute to her the strangest and darkest
purposes, some Of them the most un-
likely for her to entertain. The Nation
whose people are most jealous Of the
power Of Russia is the English, for it
looks upon the Gar as the greatest il
not the only danger to its possessions
in India. But Russia has another rival
in Austria-Hungary, for the interests
Of the two Nations in the countries
which have been from time to time
sliced off the Turkish Empire are con-
stantly clashing. Toward Germany
Russia is friendly, and the German
Government seeks to maintain the best
Of relations with the Gar; but there is
jealousy between the two countries
the two greatest and most command
ing powers in Europe. The people of
France are most friendly toward Rus.
STA, because they see the rivalry with
Germany, and they have a %proverb: my
next-door neighbor is my enemy, but
my next-door neighbor but one is my
natural friend, because he is the enemy
Of my enemy"
The power of peace or war lies in the
hands Of Alexander I'LL, Emperor Of
Russia, but he is not likely to exercise
it Tightly. Although he is an absolute
monarch, he could not govern long
against the wish Of his people. His
power is not limited by a parliament,
but he feels none the less the influence
Of the thought Of the people, and no
absolute sovereign was probably V
more in sympathy with the inclina-
tons Of his people than Alexander III.
They desire peace, and it is probable
that he also desires it. But he is a
warlike monarch, and the Russian
people have become used to war. so
that it is almost a second nature to
them. A small event may precipitate
= great conflict Youths Companion.